Jacques de Baroncelli

IMDB user review:
Jacques De Baroncelli was a prolific director ,active from the silent age (1916)up to post-war years (“Rocambole” 1947).”La Duchesse De Langeais”(1942) is considered his best work.

This one is a comedy.The beginning might remind some users of a famous scene of the all-time classic “it’s a wonderful life” -which had still to be made in 1938-: a young man ,weary of life ,wants to throw himself into the river ;but a young girl does it at the very moment he is about to act.He saves her and a “guardian angel” welcomes him ,in the shape of a tramp ,played by the always wonderful Michel Simon.Nothing magic,nothing religious ,like in Capra’s beloved work.Simply the two young people decides to live under the stars ,like their mate .The chick (Meg Lemonnier)is a wealthy banker’s daughter and the boy (Jean ¨-Pierre Aumont) a poor artist ,but he is handsome whereas all the men the rich dad wanted his heir to marry were graybeards.Read More »

Faithfully reproduced observations of Breton fisherfolk in story of the man a local woman really loves who will not at first give himself to her because of his fondness for the sea that takes him away.Read More »

Synopsis :
Catherine’s technique to sell her clocks is to blackmail illegitimate couples such as Jacques and Gisèle. However when Gisèle’s husband Pierre walks in on them, Catherine pretends to be Jacques’s lover to save the day. Jacques then gets caught up in her schemes when the next couple she deals with turn out to be jewel thieves who kidnap them.Read More »

IMDb’s Benoît A. Racine:

The novella this film was based on was written by Balzac in the 1830s as part of a group of novels detailing the adventures of a secret society of 13 men (“Les Treize”), of whom Armand is a member. This slightly sinister society was bent on acquiring power at all cost and by all means. It can be understood that Armand’s forceful quest to conquer Antoinette is part of that fascistic scheme. Armand is a general who was ennobled by Napoleon for his military exploits whereas Antoinette is an “Ancien Régime” aristocrat, like the French Queen she was named after.Read More »